Muristek
Backroom reshuffle needed in BAM to help current crop of players shine in tournaments, says former men’s singles shuttler Ewe Hock
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — A coaching reshuffle is required in a bid to help the current crop of singles players in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) stand out in the upcoming tournaments.
With the alarming performance of national singles shuttlers in recent months, former men’s singles player Ong Ewe Hock did not mince his words on what needed to be done to “rescue” them.
“In terms of coaches, we need to find those that can perform.
“For instance, if you train elite players you must ensure they perform within the next one to two years not in five to seven years, because the latter is the period needed to develop players. I hope BAM can take this into consideration,” he told reporters when met at the SME Young Entrepreneur Fusionex Challenge Trophy 2022 launching event here, today.
World number 48, Ng Tze Yong is now the main singles shuttler in BAM after Malaysia’s number one, Lee Zii Jia, left the association to turn professional in January.
While Zii Jia’s move to become an independent player has begun to bear fruit including winning two back-to-back titles in the Badminton Asia Championships 2022 and Thailand Open 2022 recently, national players including Tze Yong and Leong Jun Hao are still struggling to showcase their true potential.
The-50-year-old Ewe Hock opined that it was not only the coaching line-up that required a refresh, but also BAM’s management.
In the meantime, the 1994 Commonwealth Games silver medallist felt that the national doubles pair are doing just fine, and hoped they would mount a strong challenge in the upcoming Malaysia Open slated to be held from June 25-30.
Another former national shuttler, Datuk Foo Kok Keong, who was also present at the event hoped the coaches to push their charges a little bit more during training in order to help the players emerge much stronger and to develop their resilience while playing on the court.
Organised by SME Malaysia, the SME Young Entrepreneur Fusionex Challenge Trophy 2022 features 16 teams across the country vying for the title and RM3,000 prize money.
The inaugural tournament, to be played in the best-of-three format — a mixed doubles and two men’s doubles events — will be held on June 18 and 19 at the Serdang Badminton Club in Selangor. — Bernama